Dinner with an Iraqi

Dinner with an Iraqi

When I lived in Saudi Arabia previously in 2005, one of my best friends was an Iraqi...named Barraq. Great guy, he considered himself a non-practicing muslim. He grew up in the faith but saw so many inconsistencies in the religion he just couldn't follow. We had many late nights over coffee discussing Islam, Christianity, and true faith. It was quite enlightening. i learned so much about Islam what is right and what is wrong about it. Islam funny thing is very very similar to Judaism. The funny thing is so much of history and modern day conflict is the struggle between Jews and Arabs...when essentially they are the same religion. I think it all comes down to the biggest sibling rivalry in world history...Dad liked me best (Ishmael and Isaac). So the conflict is so hard to understand since the religions are so similar to each other. They both believe in the Garden of Eden, Noah, Abraham, they even believe in Christ. They also agree that Christ was merely a great prophet...not the son of God (Thus the obvious and main difference from Christianity). Plus they both believe the coming of Christ. So if you think about it...Christianity, Judaism, and Islam came from the same Old Testament roots. Why is there so much conflict in the world when our faiths are so similar? Im convinced its because of lack of understanding with each other and our cultures. I remember talking to a Saudi, Muslim friend a few years back. He told me..."I hate the Jews...I just hate the Jews..." I asked why... he said: "I don't know, I just do..." Our parents teach us our prejudices...when one is taught hate...one embraces hate when they are older. Its easier to blame our problems on others...especially if we are taught to hate them. We don't have to be accountable that way. By having long talks with my Muslim friends...i asked questions of them and their faith. By genuinely being interested in their point of view...they began to be more interested in my faith/p.o.v. Muslims in general had a hard time grasping the concept of the Trinity among other things. Im not really sure what my calling as a "missionary" is right now. Its all about relationships. St. Francis of Assissi said "preach the gospel always when necessary use words." So I let my lifestyle be my testimony. When the relationship starts I share my faith in Christ at the appropriate time. I don't try to be aggressive and tell them all the inaccuracies within Islam. That's not my calling. Call me the Joel Osteen of the Middle East if you will. I don't know too many people that have been debated in the kingdom. i believe I am here to plant seeds and let God water them into bloom. When appropriate, I will share my faith more completely...like with my friend Barraq. Barraq said one of the nicest things anyone ever said about me. While my marriage was falling apart (while i was in Saudi in 2005) and I was rushing to fly back to the States to try to save it. I overheard Barraq tell a mutual friend..."I do not believe in prayer...but for Rick...I will pray." Maybe I came back to lead Barraq back to the true God. Im not sure. I know that God displaced an entire family when we (while i was still married in 2003) moved to Taiwan. For that we saved one man...His name is Kidd (who subsquently led his entire family to Christ). God loves us so much that he moved 5 people across the world to save one. Its a little like the shepherd looking for the one lost sheep. If Im here to just save one...it will be enough. But the thing about ministry. The more you try to help others...the more that God blesses you. Its an amazing concept. I hope you didn't get too bored with my Religious theory. But i had a wonderful meal with Barraq and his wife Mayada. I think he will quickly become my best friend here again. We will play squash together later in the week.

Its interesting, as i was sitting down and writing in this blog...the gracious Bahraini,Adnan, that invited me into the Arabic strip club sat down and we started talking. Adnan is a member of the security force for the Royal Family. The Bahraini Secret Service. Its hard to understand him with his thick Arabic accent but we are communicating. He told me he has a 16 month old son and showed me his picture. i also showed him a picture of my son, Spencer. He just can't envision himself being away from his son even one week....he couldn't understand how I could be away from my children. I miss my kids very very much. But the fact of the matter is I am divorced. I can't be the type of daily influence in their life like I would like to be. I don't mean this to be a cop-out...but I know that Im called to be here for this season in my life. One of the people that read this blog, Ralph, told me..."how wonderful it is for you to be doing what God created you to do." That meant a lot to me. I am doing what God created me to do. i believe that now...more than ever. Everyday several times a day I have the opportunity to share my faith and connect with people. I am truly blessed. If God is truly directing my steps...He's going to take care of my kids. As you might have noticed...my children are having a hard time with me being over here and writing about them in this blog. So I'll try to minimize that. But my past does impact the direction of my future and the layers in this story. But I'll try to be sensitive to their desires. I love the encouraging words. It really adds fuel to my fire. I may be alone...but Im rarely lonely. I think Im addicted to writing in this blog.

Thanks for reading.

Rick